When BLACKPINK, TWICE, Red Velvet are no longer active: which Gen 4 girl groups have potential to replace them?
Gen 4 Kpop girl groups are increasingly bursting with strong charms. Who has the potential to replace BLACKPINK, TWICE and Red Velvet to become the new generation’s queen?
aespa
As SM Entertainment‘s new “favorite child”, aespa is expected to follow in the footsteps of Red Velvet to become one of Gen 4’s representative girl groups. Despite not being able to promote at full capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, aespa proved to be a formidable opponent even for boy groups.
Needless to say, the two prestigious Daesang that the group was awarded have contributed to proving that. In terms of awards, aespa completely got the better of BLACKPINK as 4 YG girls have not even touched the noble Daesang trophy once.
In addition, aespa’s talent and beauty are considered to be superior to those of their peers. Ningning and Winter not only have beautiful voice colors but also excellent vocal techniques. They often deliver high-quality stages which satisfy both fans and non-fans. Even encore stages after receiving trophies on weekly music shows cannot make difficulties for aespa.
Besides, the group also owns Karina and Winter – two famous visuals among Kpop fans. Despite having completely opposite beauties, when the two stand together in one frame, many people comment that aespa’s overall beauty seems to have doubled.
IVE
IVE is the name that has been causing a sensation in the Kpop music industry recently. After Sistar, it’s been a long time since Starship launched a girl group with this much potential for success.
In spite of encountering many unnecessary controversies related to concept, costumes, debut song’s music quality as well as Jang Wonyoung‘s negligence on stage, IVE is still on the rise to achieve great results, including the No.1 trophy on Show Champion just 7 days after their debut.
For IVE, talent is probably the key. The group needs to assert themselves through a lot of good songs and high-quality stages, not just show off their eye-catching visuals. Jang Wonyoung and maknae Leeseo are pretty, but being pretty is not enough to become the second BLACKPINK, TWICE or Red Velvet.
Although it is too early to conclude that IVE will grow stronger and be on par with aespa to form a new girl group balance for Kpop, it is undeniable that IVE possesses the greatest potential among girl groups from small companies. One hit like aespa’s Next Level is enough to make IVE become a legend.
STAYC
Although not from a company with a solid reputation in the industry, STAYC used to be rated higher than aespa in the days of its debut. The group often receives compliments for their beautiful visuals, attractive charisma of the members as well as catchy music.
Not only was the debut song “So Bad” praised enthusiastically, STAYC’s first comeback with ASAP was also viral on social media. Unfortunately, the group could not take advantage of their charm in their next comeback and accidentally gave aespa the opportunity to surpass them.
It’s not known if STAYC missed the “golden opportunity” to rise to a top girl group or not, but the girls are still too young, and the group still has a chance to turn the tide.
Moreover, STAYC is really one of the most appreciated girl groups of the 4th generation in terms of visuals. Not just one or two, but all of the members have the face type that Koreans love. It’s difficult for the group to “flop” with such beauty!
Kep1er
Kep1er has an advantage because each member has demonstrated their individual skill during the selection procedure on the reality show Girls Planet 999. The group doesn’t have any outstandingly pretty members, but the visuals of each member amazingly blend together. However, Girls Planet 999 was not really successful in terms of ratings, leading to the fact that no one could guarantee the group’s recognition after debut.
Currently, the former SM trainee – Kim Chaehyun – is the member with the most fervent public support. She has a beautiful voice and resembles Irene from Red Velvet. It’s not sure if Chaehyun’s popularity will be enough to assist her group become the 4th generation pioneer girl group.
In addition to Kim Chaehyun, Kep1er also owns 2 other potential visuals, Shen Xiaoting and Sakamoto Mashiro. Since joining the show, they’ve both grown in popularity and have consistently ranked at the top for several weeks. Many Kpop fans will be anticipating Kep1er’s forthcoming debut on January 3, 2022.
JYP’s new girl group
JYP always succeeds with their girl groups. Regardless of the generation, it seems that JYP girl groups always earn solid positions in the Kpop industry with fierce competition. Wonder Girls, MissA, TWICE and most recently ITZY have all achieved impressive results since their rookie days. Although ITZY’s influence is not on the same level as their seniors, it’s hard to deny that the group had a spectacular debut with Dalla Dalla and attracted much attention.
Therefore, netizens have every reason to believe that JYP’s soon-to-debut girl group in February 2022 is going to quickly rise to fame, bringing the idol industry to a new chapter.
Based on the teasers so far, the visuals of JYP’s new girl group are not at all average. Every member looks pretty and gives off the aura of an idol. Moreover, TWICE’s biggest weakness, which is vocal, does not seem to be a problem for the upcoming girl group, because many members have proven their stable live singing skills through their cover videos.
HYBE’s new girl group
Due to the controversy over HYBE disbanding G-FRIEND to scout former IZ*ONE members to form a new girl group, some Korean netizens are already holding grudges against the label’s new girl group even though their debut date is not set yet. However, netizens might change their mind if HYBE’s new girl group reveals a potential lineup with pretty, talented members and releases catchy music.
According to rumors, HYBE’s new girl group will have 2 former IZ*ONE members, Sakura and Kim Chaewon. These two are already familiar faces to the public. Both have strong fanbases in Korea and Japan.
In addition, HYBE’s new girl group is likely to include another familiar trainee, Heo Yunjin – a former contestant of Mnet’s survival show Produce 48. She unarguably has both visual and talent and is expected to attract fans after debut.
If HYBE’s new girl group actually debuts with such an eye-catching “all-visual” lineup, the battle between 4th generation female girl groups is getting more intense than ever!
